Pneumatic pump



May 1, 1923. 1,453,904 E. w. BECK I PNEUMATIC PUMP Filed April 24 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f 15 37 1 I I 37 l 3/ I if if 15 15 :6- l2.

May 1, 1923. 1,453,904

E. w. BECK PNEUMATIC PUMP Filed April 24 14 20 '2 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 1, 1923.

UNITED STATES PA-TENT QFEIQEQ ERASMUS W. BECK. OF GRIFFIN, GEORGIA.

PNEUMATIC PUMP.

App1ication filed April 24, 1920. Serial No. 376,248.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ERASMUS WV. BECK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Griflin, in the county of Spald ing and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Pumps of which the following is a specification. I

The object, of the invention is to provide an improved construction of pneumatic pump of the type wherein the variations in pressure of air supplied by a suitable condenser or compressor or like source of energ may be relied upon solely to secure the alternate filling and emptying of the reservoir to effect the elevation of the water .from the depressed level such as the bot-' tom of a well, to any desired altitude, or in other words, of the type shown in my previous application filed November 13, 1919, and the particular object in view in this connection is to provide for a more effective operation of the controlling agencies or elements by which the fluid pressure in the reservoir is regulated, or is alternately increased or reduced to respectively admit and expel the water or other liquid supplied to the reservoir from the exterior, and with these objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus with the parts arranged in the positions which they occupy when the reservoir or casing having been charged with water or other liquid, is about to be expelled by the fluid pressure admitted from the compressor.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the apparatus on a plane 'at right angles to that of Figure 1, as indicated by the line 2-2 of said figure.

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views respectively of the guide and operating tubes which serve to direct the movements of the floats. I

Figures 5,v 6, 7 and 8 are respectively transverse sectional viewson the planes indicatedby the lines 5-5, 66, 7-7 and 8-8 of Figure 1.

The apparatus consists essentially of a submersible reservoir 10 having, for example, a cylindrical wall terminally seated in upper and lower heads 11 and 12 and held in place by exterior tie rods 13 or the equivalent thereof, a liquid discharge pipe 01' conductor 14 connecting with a cored passage 15 in the upper head of the reservoir and provided with a check valve 16 to pre vent back-flow into thereservoir, an exhaust pipe 17 also communicating with the topof the reservoir through the upper head and adapted to permit the escape of air or fluid pressure during the inflow of the liquid to charge the reservoir, a pressure pipe 18 adapted for connection with the compressor or other source of pressure (not shown) for the purpose of expelling the liquid contents of the reservoir, a valve mechanism for controlling the pressure and exhaust a pipes tothe end that they may be-alternately opened during the filling or exhausting of the reservoir, liquid conductors, 19 extending from points near the bottom of the reservoir and communicating with a cored passage 15 to convey the water or other liquid to the discharge pipe 14, and a valved inlet port 20 communicating'with the reservoir at its bottom to prevent the influx of water or other liquid when the v fluid pressure within the reservoir is relieved.

The inlet valve 21 may be, of any preferred construction suitable to be seated for example by gravity and located in a cage 22 with a suitable guide opening 23 to insure the proper seating thereon when'the fluid pressure is introduced into the reservoir to avoid waste by leakage and the port 20 preferably communicates with a cored inlet passage 24 formed in ,the base or lower head of the reservoir to permit the lateral inflow of water from the space with- 111 whlch the reservoir is located.

Arranged in an upright position and preferably concentrically in the reservoir connected with the upper end of a valve.

operating member 30, which may be of tubular construction as indicated and attached at its lower end to a buoyant member 81; such as a hollow air-tight chamber arranged near the bottom of the reservoir, and

hence exposed to the buoyant effect of the liquid contents of the reservoir and practically at all times during the operation of the pump, to the end that there may be practically a constant upward tendency of said buoyant member serving 'to maintain an upward impulse in the operating member which, as illustrated operates in the bore of the guide tube 25.

Arranged in the path-or said operating memb'er'is a trip lever 32, fulcrumed' as at 33 and having a: trip latch 34 arranged in operative relation with a ball valve 35 which controls the port 36 by which communication isestablished between the pressure supply tube 18 and the interior of the reservoir, said valve being gravity closing in form, and arranged to the end that it will close with the pressure from the supply. The upward movement of the operating member 30 serving to raise the ireeend' of the trip lever 32'will shove-said valve from its seat to permit of the introduction of pressure into the reservoir to expel the charge of water which previously has been admitted thereto.

Also arranged in operative relation with the member 30 is a discharge valve 36, arranged to openinwardl'y or toward the reservoir to control communication between the reservoir and the discharge pipe 17, said valve in the construction illustrated being of the coned or tapered type having a guide stem 37 and having operating stem 38 with which is s-li'din gl'y connected, a thimble 39 on the upper end of theoperating member 30, a head 40 on the lower end' of said stem serving to limit the relative downward movement of the operating member and a cushionspri'ng- {l1 coiled upon the said stem serving to eiie'ct the yielding seating of the valve due to an upward movement of said operating member.

The toggle retainer 28 is arranged to opefra'tethrou'gh' slots:4i2 and 43 formed in registration inthe guide tube 25' and operating member 30, so that when the buoyant -member 31 is elevated as indicated in Figure 1, the jointed elements of the retainer project laterally beyond the surface ot the, guide tube. and the retainer is arranged in the zone of movement of the float 26 so that whereas when the float is in its elevated position, indicated in Figure 1 to which it is moved by the liquid contents of the reservoir when the latteris fully charged, it is located above the retainer and the buoyant member raises the latter to permit of its spreading movement. The location on the float in its depressed position, in which it rests upon the stop 27, serves to prevent the expansion or spreading, and thus through the retainer maintains the buoyant member 31 in. its depressed position and hence through the ope'rating member. 30 enables said buoyancy member to hold the exhaust valve 36 unseated, andat the same time prevents the contact of the operating member with the trip lever and allows the pressure valve 35 to remain seated.

Thus with the parts in the position indicated in. Figure rot the drawing, wherein the float is elevated to release the retainer 28 and hence with the buoyant member 31 in its elevated position to seat the said valve through direct action of the operating member 30 upon the exhaust valve and also upon the trip lever 32, to unseat the pressure valve, the apparatus is in position to permit oi the introduction of fluid pressure to the reservoir to cause the'pneumatic expulsion oi the charge of liquid therein through the conductors 19, the cored passage 15 and the exhaust pipe 14. Obviously the float 26 tends to follow the parallel movement of the surface of the water in the reservoir, but is prevented troni dropping by reason of the expansion of the retainer 28 until the level of the water in thereservoir is depressed to such a point as to permit of the downward movement of the buoyant member 31. lVhen this occurs, the retainer is collapsed so as to relieve the float 26 which drops into con-- tact with the stop 27 and hente in the plane of the retainer which itcontinues to embrace and-lo'ck in a collapsed condition until again raised by the action of the water in the filling operation. The depression of the buoyant member 31 lowers the pressure valve 35 and permits it to seat so as to cut oil the in-fiow of compressed air and also unseats the exhaust valve so that the water or other liquid in which the reservoir is submerged, acted upon by gravity or atmospheric pressure unsea'ts the inlet valve 21 and flows into the reservoir discharging the air contained therein through the exhaust pipe 17'u'ntil the level of the water, again reaching "the float 26 and raisingthe latter serves to operate the retaining dev'ice-a-nd hence permit the upward movement of the buoyant member 31 to again reverse the positions of the pressure and exhaust valves and by cutting off the escape of air from the interior of the reservoir and admitting the compressed air iirom the feed pipe 18 providing for. the pneumatic expulsion oi the liquid charge which has been admitted.

It will be noted the buoyant memberis of relatively largecapacity so that the effect of the water or other liquid thereon tending to raise the same will be opposed by the re taining device until such timeas thel'evel of the water in the reservoir rises to a point sufficient to elevate the float'26 and ensure the prompt reversal of the positions of the pressure and exhaust valves in said'releasing of the retainer, so that an effective re-a'djustment of the valves is assured andl'the possibility of a leakage is avoided. In the opposite or reverse re-adjustment' of the'valves the weight of the buoyant member is sufli- Inn cient, particularly in the reduction of internal pressurein the reservoir and the positive pressure in the supply pipe 18 to ensure an effective movement of the pressure and exhaust valves.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is 2- 1. A pneumatic pump having a submerged reservoir provided near its bottom with an inlet and outlet for liquid, the former being controlled by an inwardly opening valve,-

pressure inlet and relief valves controlling pressure inlet and exhaust ports in communication with the reservoir near its top, said inlet and relief valves being respectively mounted for inward seating and unseating movements, a trip mechanism arranged in operative relation With the inlet valve, an operating member mounted for re ciprocatory movement and having an element of said trip mechanism arranged in the path of upward movement thereof, a cushioned connection between said operating member and the relief valve, a buoyant member for said operating member, a retainer for securing the operating member in its depressed position, and a float movable into and out of the plane of the retainer for alternately locking and releasing the same. 7

2. A pneumatic pump having a submerged reservoir provided near its bottom with an inlet and outlet of which the former is valved, pressure inlet and relief valves controlling pressure inlet and exhaust ports in communication with the interior of the reservoir at its top, the pressure inlet valve being of the ball type and arranged to seat inwardly with relation to the reservoir, and the relief valve being arranged to unseat inwardly with relation to the reservoir, a guide tube, a buoyant member having a tubular operating member mounted for sliding movement in said guide tube and having a cushioned connection with said relief valve, an inletyalve trip lever terminally arranged in the path of said operating member and having a trip pin for displacing said inlet valve, a retainer connected with said op erating member consisting of toggle armsexpansible through slots in the guide tube,v and a float mounted for sliding movemen}: upon the guide tube into and out of the zon of said retainer for alternately locking and releasing the latter, the downward movement of said float being limited to a position in the zone of the retainer.

3. A pneumatic pump having a submerged reservoir provided near its bottom with an inlet and outlet for liquid the former being controlled by inwardly opening valves, pressure inlet and relief valves controlling pressure inlet and exhaust ports in communication with the reservoir near its top, a buoyant member located within the reservoir for effecting the reversal in positions of the pressure inlet and relief valves and having a limited movement in the zone confined to thebottom of the reservoir, a retainer actuated by said buoyant member, and a float having its zone of operation. confined to the top of the reservoir and engageable'with said retainer on recession of the contents of the reservoir to lock the float in depressed position. y y

4. A pneumatic pump having a submerged reservoir provided near its bottom with an inlet and outlet for liquid, the former being controlled by an inwardly opening valve, pressure inlet and relief valves controlling pressure inlet and exhaust ports in commu nication with the reservoir near its top, said inlet and relief valves being respectively mounted forinward seating and unseating movements, a trip mechanism arranged in operative relation with the inlet valve, an operating member mountedfor reciprocatory movement and having an element of said trip mechanism arranged in the path of upward movement thereof, a buoyant member for said operating member, a retainer for securing the operating member in its depressed position, and a float movable into and out of the plane of the retainer for alternately locking and releasing the same.

In testimony whereof he afiixes his signature. ERASMUS W. BECK. 

